Dark Son
by Lady Anatui
Summary: SiriusOCSnape. Rhiannon Bishop is an intelligent Ravenclaw, but is she smart enough to find a way out of Sirius Black and Severus Snape's rivalry? Very doubtful.
1. Big Fat Mouth

_This is a Sirius/OC/Snape. Since it's a triangle, I'm not sure what characters to use. This is in no way slash, though. You've been warned._

_This is not DH compliant. The entire story was written before the seventh book came out, so it definitely doesn't fit with the Snape/Lily-ness from DH._

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Big Fat Mouth**

"Why hello, Snivelly. How are you and your greasy nose on this lovely day?"

Rhiannon Bishop watched the two boys in disgust. She was the only other person in the hallway, walking round while she read, minding her own business.

"Leave me alone, Black," snapped Snape before trying to walk away.

Black had his wand out in a second, ready for either offense or defense. "Why would I ever do that? Where do you think you're going?"

Rhia snapped her book shut, catching their attention. "Are you two done yet?" she asked innocently. "Some of us are trying to read."

"Shut up, Mudblood," spat Snape.

She looked at him questioningly. "I don't th-think I have to take… orders from you," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" he mocked.

Black cut in. "Don't attack a harmless Ravenclaw."

"Harmless?" said Rhia indignantly, but she put up a feeble defense.

"What gives you the right to tell me what to do, Black? You're just a blood traitor."

"You're not even a pureblood, so how can you speak of such things?"

"Please stop," said Rhia meekly.

Neither boy paid her any mind.

"I'd rather be a half-blood than a blood traitor."

"Well, you're you and I'm me."

"Oh, you make everything all so clear, Black," Snape said sarcastically. "Goodbye." He turned round, his hand securely placed on his wand handle, and walked toward the dungeons.

"You alright?" asked Black, glancing at her.

"No thanks to you," she said quietly.

"Hey, you got in the way."

"And you don't even _care_ who gets in the way. You'd hex them if you felt it necessary."

"Hell, I'd even hex Prongs if I _felt it necessary_."

"Oh, go away." Rhia quickly plunged headlong into her book, _History of Herbs_, which she was reading for Advanced Potions class, and continued on her way to the Great Hall.

Her mind, however, was not on the book. She was too frustrated with what had just happened. If there was a fight, she was usually the one diving in to stop it and then climbing out the victim.

It might not have been so bad if she had a friend to talk about everything with, but it was a well-known fact that know-it-all Rhiannon Bishop had no friends. She was too engulfed in her school work or books or writing letters to her aunt and uncle. She didn't really have any acquaintances either. Half the people she met she hated, which included the two boys in question, Sirius Black and Severus Snape.

Black and Snape were always fighting. Black and his best mate James Potter were usually making fun of Snape, and he loathed them for it. They both loathed him just as much. But Black loathed him more.

Thinking this over, Rhia noticed just how much they frustrated her. If the two were fighting, she tried to break it up. Then one of them, if not both, would make fun of her, because she stuttered and she was bossy. She was used to it by now. She barely noticed half the time. But she would always try to defend herself, even if it never worked.

If Potter was involved in the argument, she knew not to interrupt as Lily Evans would usually do so. Evans was always trying to yell at Potter for something. It was rather amusing at times, but usually it was just old.

Once in the Great Hall, Rhia sat down at the Ravenclaw table, still reading her book. She always sat at the end nearest the doors, alone. No one _ever_ sat with her. She was pretty much an outcast—a bossy, know-it-all, stuttering outcast.

Finally setting down her Potions book, she began to eat lunch, which consisted of a glass of pumpkin juice, a beef sandwich, and crackers. She ate quietly and without complaint, glancing around the Great Hall.

She watched Black enter the Hall and then join the other Marauders, immediately telling them of his encounter with Snape and herself. The four boys glanced at her. She glared in turn and returned to her meal, her temper shorter than it previously had been.

Once finished with her meal, she grabbed her book and left the Great Hall, finding her place and continuing to read. Rhia walked silently up the staircase and toward a large bright blue curtain covering the wall. "Gillyweed," she said habitually. The curtain fluttered, and she pushed it aside to enter the Ravenclaw common room.

Rhia curled up in the chair by the hearth and continued to read her book—attempted to read. Her mind was immediately interrupted by the thoughts of the conflict between Black and Snape.

Damn those two boys. She hated them both. Black was a conceited prat that had probably snogged every single girl in their year other than herself or his cousin. And Snape was so dark and conniving, with his smug attitude and hatred toward any Muggle-borns or non-Slytherins. They both disgusted her. She hated them and they hated her. But the worst part was that she could never force herself to stand up to either of them—at least not to the extreme she would have liked. They were so damn frustrating!

And her and her big fat mouth! She could have just walked away—but no! She just had to interrupt them. Sure, she stopped what probably would have been an extremely brutal fight, as it was her duty to do so as Prefect, but she didn't even use her powers to help. She just mumbled and got insulted.

Harmless Ravenclaw?! That prat! So maybe she was harmless, but he didn't have to use it with such an insulting tone. Stupid prat! Stupid prat! Stupid prat!

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Her stupid, big, fat mouth! Why did she have to always embarrass herself like that? Was she destined to be a loser her entire life? How did she deserve such karma? What had she ever done? Rhia was completely innocent, never lifting a finger to do one bad thing. She always played by the rules. She hugged her aunt and uncle every day she could. She got perfect scores on all her tests. And, for all this, what did she have? No friends. People making fun of her. A stuttering problem. And a big fat mouth that got her into social hell. Not to forget that the guy she fancied didn't even know she existed. Social hell!

Damn. Her and her big fat mouth.

* * *

_Well, thanks for reading this. Please leave me a review._


	2. Slughorn's an Idiot

**Chapter 2 – Slughorn's an Idiot**

Rhia was completely awake at six o'clock in the morning, having only slept for three and a half hours. She moved around the dorm silently, careful not to wake up any of her fellow students. She hurriedly took a shower and dressed before going down to the Great Hall.

After a quick breakfast, she made her way to her first lesson, which happened to be Advanced Potions with Professor Slughorn. Rhia sat in the back of the classroom alone. The rest of the students piled into the room five minutes later. No one sat beside her. She wasn't surprised—she was relieved. She despised people and she wanted nothing to do with any of them—especially the ones at Hogwarts.

Just as Slughorn was beginning the lesson, the door opened. "Mr. Snape, please find an empty seat," called the professor.

Snape glanced across the room. The only other empty seat was beside a Gryffindor toward the front of the class. With a determined glint in his eyes, he walked toward Rhia and sat down beside her. Once Slughorn continued teaching, he greeted her. "Good morning, Mudblood," he scowled.

"Ditto, half-blood," she replied quietly.

"_Half-blood_? What kind of insult is that?"

"Well, what kind of insult is _Mudblood_?" she countered.

Snape rolled his eyes. "At least I have wizard blood."

"Oh, and does that make you special?"

"Don't mock me."

"Then don't give me a reason to."

He made no reply, only stared at her.

"Why are y-you looking at me?" she asked feebly.

"Why weren't you stuttering?"

"The only person looking at me is you. Not much pressure. Will you stop staring already?"

"I'm the only one that wants to."

She accidentally knocked over her ink as she dipped a quill in it. "Wh-what?" she asked, looking at him, befuddled.

"Miss Bishop, do be more careful," said Slughorn as he approached their table. Using his wand, he washed the ink away, cleaning the table thoroughly. "Get to work on the potion, you two."

"Yes, s-sir," she stuttered, blushing. "What does that mean?" she whispered urgently once Slughorn had continued on his rounds.

"It's rather obvious that no one wants to stare at you."

"But you said you're the _only one_."

He gave no response. He only said, "I'll go get the ingredients," and walked to the student store cupboard. He barely spoke for the rest of the class period, only reading off the directions from his book.

Rhia glanced over his shoulder to check her work and noticed he had scribbled in several tips on a few potions. "What's next?" she asked quietly.

Snape jumped, pulling out his wand and pointing it at her defensively. "Sorry," he said quickly, putting it away. "You startled me, Bishop."

"S-sorry," she whispered. "What's with the writing in the book?"

He glared at her for asking such a question. "They're my notes. And it's none of your damn business!" he snarled.

Rhia scowled at him and turned back to the cauldron. "What's next?" she asked, her voice faltering slightly.

"Add the powdered unicorn horn," he instructed.

They proceeded in silence.

At the end of the lesson, when each pair was bottling their potion and setting them on the professor's desk, Slughorn made an announcement. "These will be your partners for the rest of the term unless I make any further changes."

With a deep disappointed look on her face, Rhia groaned, slumping her head down on the table. She glanced up to see Snape returning from handing in their potion.

"Dismissed," called the professor.

Snape picked up his bag and piled his books and quills into it before nodding goodbye to Rhia.

She quickly grabbed her own bag and followed him. "What's with you?" she asked as she walked level with him.

He glanced at her, disgusts on his face. "What do you mean, Bishop?"

"Never mind," she said quietly, blushing as several other Slytherins gave her dirty looks. She began to walk ahead, her head low in embarrassment.

Snape watched her go and made no move to stop her.

Slughorn was an idiot, Rhia decided as she walked in and out of the people crowding the halls, making her way toward Ancient Runes.

How could he make her partners with Severus Snape for the rest of the term? She was stuck with him until the end of the year, for goodness sake! Of all people, why _him_?!

Rhia was sure that her professor hadn't intended it or planned it in any way. But she was one of his favorite students. Why was he punishing her? Hadn't he seen the look of complete distress on her face when he had said it? She doubted that, considering he had only looked at her before he said that.

And what was up with Snape? He was rude to her, but then they seemed to actually be getting along fine. That was until she noticed his notes in his Potions book. She knew for a fact that he was a genius with potion-making, but was it enough for him to improve the potions in the book? She doubted that, but that's what it had looked like.

But now he had her curious. How did he know to change that all? He would have had to have made all of them to have experienced all that. She doubted he had done that too. So how did he know all that? She wanted to find out.

All right, so maybe Slughorn wasn't that much of an idiot. But, Rhia was sure, Snape will have poisoned her by the end of the term. No more lies. Slughorn was definitely an idiot.

* * *

_All right, no one reviewed, but I'm all right with that. I'm bound to get one eventually. I'd like at least one, but I will survive without any._

_Anatui_


	3. Lonesome's Unconditional

**Chapter 3 – Lonesome's Unconditional**

Rhia resigned herself to her rounds. As a prefect, it was her duty to make sure that no students were out of bed after hours. Usually, she was attentive during rounds, watching carefully, checking the broom closets. However, she always ended up at the Astronomy tower, and amazingly she found few people up there. If anyone, it was usually Sirius Black and his girlfriend, Melina Grey—currently now his _ex_-girlfriend.

Rhia clambered up the long staircase to the Astronomy tower, her eyes glazed over in thought. When she reached the top, she sat down on the floor and looked out over the Forbidden forest. The moon was almost full and emitted a pearly light over the scene, glistening on the black lake.

With a heavy sigh, she laid her head down against the stone wall and closed her eyes. As she did so, a sound came to her ears, and she looked up. In the far, dark corner, Rhia spotted two people, presumably a boy and a girl, who were kissing. Slowly, Rhia stood up and made her way over to them, clearing her throat.

Both looked up. On the left, up against the wall, was a fifth year Hufflepuff girl named Ellen Midgen. On the right, his hand stationary on the girl's breast, stood Sirius Black. "Can I help you?" he asked lazily once he saw who it was.

Eyes narrowed, she spoke in a hushed voice, "Wh-what're you doing out of bed?"

"Sorry, but what was that?" asked Black, pulling away from the Hufflepuff, who was blushing profusely at being found snogging a boy in the middle of the night.

"Shut up, Black," she said quietly, but she knew that he heard her. "Five points from Gryffindor for mocking a prefect. Twenty points from both houses for being out of bed after hours."

Ellen Midgen hung her head in shame.

"Now go back to your beds. Or do you need an escort there?"

"You're such a goody-two-shoes, Bishop," said Black, glaring down at her.

Rhia then walked Black and Midgen to their common rooms, dropping off Midgen first. Rhia and Black walked in silence on their way to Gryffindor tower, neither even glancing at the other. It was then that she realized she didn't know where the entrance to the tower was.

Turning back to him, she opened her mouth to speak. "I don't know where to stop, you know."

"I expected as much," he said curtly.

She scowled at him, pursing her lips in distaste, but said nothing.

"You're being very non-stuttery today." But he stopped her before she could make a reply. "Oh, don't worry. No pressure." His laugh sounded very dog-like.

"Please be quiet," she said nervously, quickly continuing on the journey.

"Why should I?"

She didn't say anything.

"Nothing to say to that?"

No response.

"Are you just going to make me talk all by myself? Fine, don't respond. You can be really boring if you like. But it's all you. I'm completely innocent."

Rhia chuckled lightly at that.

"What? Am I not innocent? Does my saying that sound funny? Are you amused?"

No answer.

"Well, this is my stop, Bishop," said Black as they neared the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Password?" said the Fat Lady, looking down at the him begrudgingly.

"Gillyweed," he replied.

"Don't let me catch you out again," warned Rhia.

Black waved away her comment and entered through the portrait hole, one hand behind his head, scratching his neck. The portrait shut behind him.

"Stupid Black," she muttered before turning away and heading back toward the Astronomy tower.

Once there, she relaxed and looked down on the grounds.

Rhia had never liked people. She couldn't really come up with any reason why when some girl in Hufflepuff asked her in their first year. But now she knew that it was more complicated than just not liking someone.

Her aunt and uncle would not approve of what she was doing. She always pushed everyone away. The older she became, the more she did it. She had even started pushing them away. They were just starting to notice before she came back to Hogwarts this past year. But she knew they were noticing. They always noticed. They were her guardians. That's what they were supposed to do.

With a sigh, she decided she needed to relax every once in a while. She just needed to let everything out. "I hate my life," she said quietly, leaning her head down against the stone. "I hate it." And she began to cry.

If she hated her life so much, then why did she continue to do things the way she did them? Why did she continue to push people away? It was rare that she found her voice around people in the first place, so why was she not letting her feelings out?

That was it. She didn't want to be so lonely any longer. She was fine with being alone, but she didn't want to be lonely. She didn't necessarily want to have friends, but someone she could talk to and someone who would understand. She didn't want to cry anymore. She wanted to be strong and independent. She wanted to be able to stand up for herself. But not be lonely.

With a deep breath, she got up and wiped her tears away, ready to go to bed.


	4. Sirius Black Foiled

**Chapter 4 – Sirius Black Foiled**

Rhia surged with determination when she entered her first class the next day. Charms started as usual with Professor Flitwick showing the class a new charm and awarding points to those students that answered his questions correctly. "Now can anyone tell me the origin of this charm?" He was delighted when Rhia raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Bishop," he called giddily, and awarded her ten points for Ravenclaw when she gave him the correct answer before continuing with the lesson.

Rhia sat quietly at the back with a small smile on her face. Never before had she raised her hand during class, even though she was the top student for her year. Professor Flitwick, as her Head of House, had particularly wanted her to volunteer her opinion. It was obvious how excited he was that she finally had. He wore a large grin.

On her second attempt, she had mastered the charm and sat back to watch her fellow students. Her eyes caught someone else's when they wandered the crowd. The eyes were glaring at her, and they belonged to Sirius Black. She glared in return, barely noticing as one of Black's friends turned and looked at the two curiously. But, when Rhia smirked deviously, both Black and his friend were confused.

After class, Rhia made her way to the Great Hall for lunch and spotted a girl she recognized at the Hufflepuff table. Her name was Monica Finch and she just so happened to be dating Sirius Black at the current moment.

Rhia approached her. "Hi," she said, smiling. "Monica Finch, right?"

The girl nodded.

"Can I talk to you? You might prefer it to be in private."

"Sure."

The two walked over to the side of the Hall away from prying eyes.

"It's my duty," began Rhia, "as a prefect to check the halls after dark for students. Anyway, you might want to ask your boyfriend why he was up on the Astronomy tower with Ellen Midgen around midnight last night."

Just as she finished, Black approached and kissed Monica Finch on the cheek, only to be pushed away by his wide-eyed girlfriend. "What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

"What's _**wrong**_?!" screamed Finch before slapping him hard across the face.

Black glanced at Rhia, and she smirked. With a proud smile on her face, she returned to her dinner. When the screaming finally ended, it was clear that the relationship would not be mended. Black stormed over to the Ravenclaw table and stood before her. "We're going to need to talk some time, Bishop," he spat before exiting the Great Hall.

Rhia was unprovoked by his statement. She doubted much would come of it. But she w as extremely startled when Monica Finch came and sat across from her. Talking to an annoyed, popular ditz was not what she had been hoping for. "Hi?" she said uncertainly.

"Thank you."

"Um, you're welcome?"

"You didn't have to tell me. Why did you?"

"Well," Rhia said, gaining confidence the longer she spoke, "taking points didn't seem to affect him. Besides, if he's going to snog a sixth year he's not even going with, he doesn't deserve you."

"I'm flattered," said Finch, smiling.

"You're a lot nicer than I thought you were," she noted.

"Yeah, we've never really been on speaking terms before."

Rhia nodded. "So no more Sirius Black?"

"No more," Finch sighed. "And I must admit that it's quite a relief. Girls glaring at me whenever we walked together. I got some seriously threatening letters from a couple girls. Sirius seemed to find it all amusing that he was so popular with the ladies—so popular they would fight over him."

"What a berk," snapped Rhia. "I hate him. He has no manners and very little common sense."

Finch laughed. "We have something in common then. I hate him too." After clearing her throat, she continued, placing her hand out over the table. "I'm Monica Finch."

"Rhiannon Bishop," she replied, shaking her hand. "Call me Rhia please."

"Lovely to meet you properly, Rhia."

"And the same to you, Monica."

Both girls were smiling.

"You know," Rhia said after pushing away her plate of food, "we have Transfiguration together next. Care to walk together?"

"Sounds splendid."

They got up and made their way toward the Transfiguration room.


	5. So Cold

**Chapter 5 – So Cold**

Rhia entered Potions class with a smile and sat down beside Snape, who had arrived early today. "Good morning," she said pleasantly.

Snape scowled at her in reply. "Why are you happy today, Mudblood?" he asked lazily.

"Why not? It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

"We're in a dungeon."

"Are you blunt today?"

"I always am."

"You've got a point there."

"Of course, I do. You shouldn't have expected any less, Bishop."

Rhia smiled. "You're the weirdest person I know, Snape," she laughed. "First you act like you hate me. Then you're friendly. But then you hate me again."

"Relationships are complicated."

"We're in a relationship?"

"It is, of course, not the kind usually associated with that word."

"Of course," she said, nodding. "Say, Snape, I was wondering if you could help me study. We're having out N.E.W.T.s this year, you know."

"Why would I help you?"

"It would help you as well."

"Convince me and I might do it."

"I will. Don't you dare doubt it."

"Why would you want to study with me?"

"You and Lily Evans get the best scores in Potions, don't you?"

"Yes, I suppose we do."

"Is my flattery helping convince you at all?"

"You compared me to Mudblood Evans."

"She's just as intelligent as you are… but I like you more."

"In case I do come, where and when would we be meeting to study?"

"The library, of course. Tomorrow from after breakfast to whenever we choose to stop. I'll only wait for fifteen minutes."

"I'll consider it."

"I'm glad."

Once set with their instructions, they began creating their potions. They worked in silence, barely noticing the other. Watching over her potion simmer, Rhia grabbed for the silver knife to cut up her murtlap root, but she jumped when she placed her hand over something cold and rough. Looking down, she realized she was holding Snape's hand. Both she and Snape jumped back, Snape's face tinged with pink, Rhia's flushed profusely.

"I'm so-sorry," stammered Rhia, hiding behind her curtain of bleach-blonde hair.

Snape didn't say anything. He just shook his head, as if it still wasn't registering what had happened.

"You're cold," she heard herself say, barely even registering it. "Why are you so cold?"

"Don't touch me ever again, Mudblood," he sneered quietly.

Rhia pursed her lips but turned away, quickly grabbed the knife out from under his hand and continuing with the potion. She didn't dare look at him again, afraid he would snap at her again. Beside her, she heard him also continue with the potion, moving as quietly and independently as possible.

Class ended fifteen minutes later and still neither spoke. After cleaning up, Rhia left, dragging her book bag behind her, but she was startled when someone pulled her into a deserted classroom, closed the door, and pinned her against it. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw Sirius Black in front of her.

"I said we'd need to talk some time," he said conversationally.

"Black—"

"How could you tell Monica that?"

"Oh, don't give me—"

"What have I ever done to you?"

"How can you—"

"How can I what?"

"Sirius Black, you are the most narcissistic drama queen in all of Europe!" she cried.

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Black.

"You talk about how I could tell poor Monica that, like you actually think you deserve her! She's an innocent girl, but you go gallivanting around, parading and flaunting your masculinity like it's some great gift. You wonder how? How can you wonder that?!"

"You're—"

"We're going to be late for class," she said coldly.

"I don't care!"

"Well, I do, Black. Let go of me."

"Fine, but we're continuing this conversation. Care to join me in Hogsmeade?"

"Actually, I'd prefer not to."

"Well, I'll meet you in the Three Broomsticks tomorrow at noon. We need to talk about this." He pulled away from her, pushed her out of the way, and exited through the door, leaving her alone in the classroom.

With a deep sigh of frustration, Rhia left the room and made her way toward her Study of Ancient Runes class, not ready to work more with all her aggravation.


	6. Hello, Darling

**Chapter 6 – Hello, Darling**

Rhia watched the other students leave the breakfast table for Hogsmeade, Sirius Black among them. She was relieved when, after sending her a meaningful look, he exited the Great Hall, expecting her to join him at the Three Broomsticks later that afternoon. She waited for most to clear, noting that Snape still remained in his seat finishing his meal, before getting up to go to the library. Monica met her just outside the Great Hall.

"So you joining me in Hogsmeade today?" asked Monica.

"I can't," Rhia replied sadly. "I'm meeting someone in the library. I've got to go now," she said, glancing back at the Slytherin table to see he hadn't moved as she shifted around her books. "Sorry, Monica, I need to go."

"Fine. Leave me. Bye then."

"Bye."

With that, Rhia sped off to the library and found a table near the entrance so that he'd be sure to see her when—_if,_ she reminded herself—he came. She pulled out _Advanced Potions: Year 7_ and began to read over the potions they had already created in class with Slughorn. She tested herself, seeing how much she remembered from the start of the year.

Five minutes gone by. Ten minutes. Still no Severus Snape. Would he even come? After he had snapped at her in Potions, she didn't think so. But she hoped he would come. And, if he did come, would he be the type to wait until a minute before she would leave to come in? She didn't think so. That would be something a Marauder would do, and Snape hated them. He would do anything he could not to be like them. Twelve minutes. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen minutes. He wasn't coming.

With a sigh, she got up, put away her book, and left the library.

Had he forgotten? No, she didn't think so. She could tell he wasn't very forgetful, even if she knew very little about him. He could have left her to go to Hogsmeade, but she knew he never went to the village. He wasn't sociable enough. And he wasn't the type to waste his coin on alcohol and liquor.

From all that, she decided that he had not left their study session for anything better or more important. He was just discouraged and angry because of the incident in Potions the previous day. She scowled at the fact that his mind could be so easily changed. Well, technically, she never knew if he had been convinced to join her, but she thought she had convinced him. Apparently not.

Rhia stayed in the Ravenclaw common room for the rest of the day, only hungry when dinner finally came. At that time, she went down to the Great Hall to eat. On the way there, the halls were packed with students fresh from Hogsmeade, several of which glanced at her in a scrutinizing way, though most of those were girls in her year or the one below. One of them approached her.

"Where were you? How could you miss that?" asked the girl. She was in sixth year. Her named was Elizabeth Marx, another Ravenclaw.

"Miss what?" Rhia furrowed her brow.

"Don't deny it! You were asked out on a date by Sirius Black, and you stood him up!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're his new girlfriend, aren't you? Aren't you?!"

She felt sick. What had Black done? Why did everyone think that they were going together? That bastard! "I have to go now," she said, suddenly feeling ill with rage. Angrily, she stormed toward the Great Hall, pushing past anyone that stood in her way.

Eyes flaring, Rhia stomped into the Hall and quickly found her victim. He sat at the Gryffindor table with the rest of the Marauders, also accompanied by Lily Evans and her best friend. It had slipped Rhia's mind that James Potter and Lily Evans had finally started dating. She wasn't as impressed by social happenings as the rest of the school. Rhia stopped right behind Black, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed at the back of his head. "Damn you, Sirius Black," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear her.

Black spun around in his seat, and his eyes lip up in amusement at the site of her. "Hello, darling," he said in a very convincing voice.

She pursed her lips.

Quickly, he jumped to his feet and slung his harm around her shoulders. As he walked her out of the Hall, she muttered and cursed him under her breath. Turning the corner, with the knowledge that every eye in the Great Hall was watching them, Black slid his hand down her back to her butt and squeezed it tightly. Someone catcalled after them as they went out of site.

Once outside, Rhia spun around, slapping his hand away. "Don't touch me!" she spat. "What have you done?"

"You see, I was sitting there in the Three Broomsticks—alone, no thanks to you—when I ran into this girl I know, who just so happened to ask me what I was doing alone. So I said I was waiting for my date, which indeed I was because we had set a date, whether it was romantic or not. When she pried a bit further, she seemed to get the idea that we're dating."

"Why did you give her that idea?" snapped Rhia.

"Hey, I only gave her the facts."

"All of them?"

"Well, I must admit I left a few things out."

"Of course, you did."

"However, when she suggested that we were dating, I did not confirm it. But, then again, I didn't deny it either. It came to my attention that it might convince you more if we were going together."

"But we're not."

"I know that, and you know that. But nobody else does."

"Bastard."

"Sadly, no. Then I would have been disowned long ago. But I had to run away to get disowned."

"I don't care about your disownment. That doesn't affect me. Now get your arse back in there and make things right."

"Sorry, darling," he said, kissing her on the cheek smugly, "but you don't always get what you want." And he walked away.

Rhia screamed in frustration, stomping her feet angrily. She really hated Sirius Black, she decided as she went back to the Ravenclaw common room.


	7. Planning a Midnight Rendezvous

**Chapter 7 – Planning a Midnight Rendezvous**

Rhia woke with a pounding headache several days later. The past days had been horrible. She saw Sirius Black nearly every day, and he was amused by the whole scenario and her annoyance. Monica was ignoring her since it was first rumored Rhia and Black were dating. Snape still hadn't spoken to her since that Potions lesson. And, all day, girls pelted her with insane questions about what it was like for a loser to be with Sirius Black and why they were never seen kissing. Rhia was going crazy.

"Why do you two keep your relationship so secret?"

"Shut up already!" screamed Rhia, frightening the poor girl away.

"Calm down, darling," said a voice from behind her.

"You call me _darling_ one more time, I swear—"

"You'll what?"

She spun around, pointing her index finger at him threateningly.

"What is it, _darling_?" he said smirking.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for lying. Twenty points for mocking a prefect. Get to class, Black."

"You're lucky you scared everyone else away, or else our cover would be broken," said Black nonchalantly.

"Pfft. See you in class, Black." And she left him alone in the hallway.

For the second time since she had accidentally touched Snape's hand, Rhia entered her Potions class and sat down beside Severus Snape. "So are you going to ignore me for the rest of our lives?" she snapped.

"I was considering it for a while."

Rhia glared when she saw Black and Potter enter the classroom.

"Aren't you going with Black?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you believe that too?"

"Well, then why haven't you made it clear to the rest of the school?"

"I don't know. Then it'll just be all the ditzy girls saying that they knew in their heart of hearts that he would never sink low enough to date me."

"But you're always yelling at him. How can people truly believe _you_'d sink that low?"

"Why are you defending me? I'm a Mudblood, remember?"

"Better a Mudblood than a blood traitor. You didn't have a choice. He did."

"Will you please study with me in the library tonight?" she asked.

"After dinner?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I shall see you then."

Rhia smiled.

For the rest of the class, they working in silence until Slughorn dismissed them to lunch. Rhia made her way to the Great Hall, determined to find Monica and to convince her as well that she was not going with Black. But Black found her first.

"Good afternoon, darling," he said, taking her hand in his. "How 'bout we have our talk tonight? Midnight in the Astronomy tower." He squeezed her hand, not waiting for a response, and left.

Rhia groaned in frustration and approached the Hufflepuff table to see Monica leaving. She rushed after her out of the Great Hall. "Monica!" she cried angrily, chasing her up the great staircase.

Monica turned on her. "Rhia, what are you doing with that prat? What about the things you said? Were you lying?"

"No! Sirius Black is a good-for-nothing, god-awful, narcissistic prat!"

"Then why are you going with him?"

"I'm not. He just said that to spite me because I ruined what he had with you. Because I ruined his fun. Please tell me you believe me."

"I do. I don't know how I couldn't. But, when I heard that rumor, I was just so angry. I didn't really believe you'd do that awful thing, but it just seemed so plausible."

Rhia smiled. "Well, that's completely understandable. I'd be kinda angry too."

She nodded, a quizzical look appearing on her face. "Why don't you clarify that then?"

"Oh, I don't know. People'll just use that to shove it in my face."

Monica nodded again. "C'mon, let's go to Transfiguration."


	8. Behind Closed Doors

**Chapter 8 – Behind Closed Doors**

After classes and dinner, Rhia went down to the library, careful to avoid anyone that would badger her with questions. Thankfully, she reached the library unscathed, and slipped into a chair at the same table at which she had previously waited for him. Snape joined her minutes later and stood in front of her questioningly.

"Hello," she said, jumping to her feet. "Let's find a more secluded spot."

Snape nodded obediently and followed her into the deeper parts of the library, not even asking why they were hiding or complaining about it.

They settled themselves in a dark corner in the back of the library, lying down on the floor on their bellies facing each other. Their papers and books were displayed on the floor in front of them.

Rhia looked up at Snape, who stared back expectantly. "So what should we go over first?" she asked.

"What would you like to go over?"

"I don't know."

"Then the point of this meeting was?"

"Well, we need to study, and we might as well do it together as we're partners in class."

"But if we don't even study there's nothing to do."

"You have a point there."

"I never say anything pointless."

"Everyone does at least one in their life. Anyway, we should probably study something."

"Fine. Pick a random page number in our books, and we'll go over that."

"M'kay. 596."

They flipped their books open and began their work.

Several hours later, Snape got up and walked out of their nook to find a book over herbs frequently found in potions. Rhia glanced across from her to where he had just lied, and her eyes fell on his open book. On the page they had been carefully looking at, several notes were scribbled in the margins. She pulled the book toward herself to read what he had written just as she heard his approaching footfalls. She pushed the book back to its proper place and returned her eyes to her own book. "Hey, Snape!" she called out.

"Yeah?" he replied, his footsteps growing closer.

"Could you come here please?"

Snape joined her side a moment later, kneeling down.

"What is this potion for?" she asked, pointing out a potion in the back of the book.

"It says, doesn't it?"

"No. It only says that it is forbidden to make."

Snape leaned closer, his breath hitting her cheek and shoulder, to see the book better. "The Necroweed Extract?" he asked.

Rhia nodded.

"It's poison."

"How would you know that, Snivellus?"

They looked back to Black, Snape scowling.

"Hello, Black," said Rhia.

"Good evening, darling," he replied jovially.

"It's in the name, isn't it?" spat Snape. "_Necro_ means _death_, doesn't it?"

"You're one to know."

"Don't," warned Rhia dangerously. "What do you want, Black?"

"It's nearly ten o'clock," he informed them.

The candles went out.

"Alright, maybe it is ten o'clock."

"Well, thank you, Black," said Snape irritably. "You've been a _great_ help."

"Come on. Let's go," Rhia said, blindly gathering her books.

"Sorry, Bishop," Snape said sadly, turning to her, "but don't you know how crazy the librarian is?"

"No."

"She locks the doors with a spell so that only the caster can unlock it. She's insane."

"That's just great," sighed Black.

Rhia pushed her books in a pile against the shelf and rolled onto her back. With a sigh, she said, "Well, if we're stuck in here all night, we might as well try to sleep."

"I'm not going to sleep when _he_'s in the room," spat Snape from beside her.

"Same goes for me," said Black.

"You two can fight all you want, but I plan on sleeping, so just don't be too noisy." She closed her eyes but couldn't sleep. "Damn," she said, sitting up. "This floor is too hard.

She heard Snape stand up beside her. "Want up?" he asked her.

"How would you even help me up? You're afraid to touch a Mudblood, aren't you? Besides, how can you even see me?"

"_Lumos_," he muttered. Light fled from his wand. "Give me your hand, Bishop."

"Well, that makes a difference." Rhia took his outstretched hand, and, with his help, pulled herself to her feet. "Thank you." Her hand lingered in his, wondering what his reaction would be.

Once it was apparent to him that she wasn't going to let go any time soon, Snape ripped his hand away and glowered at her, holding his hand close as if burned. "Don't," he warned.

Black looked at them suspiciously. "What going on here?" he snapped. "Don't touch my girlfriend, Snivellus, or—"

"Or what, Black?" asked Snape, suddenly smirking. "You don't have a girlfriend."

"He's got you there, Black," Rhia agreed.

He glared at her.

"So why are you here, Black?" she asked curiously. "How did you even know I was here?"

"I beat it out of Finch."

"You _what_?"

"Relax. It was only a little bit of blackmail."

"Blackmail?! That's illegal, I hope you know."

"Well, I do now."

"You're pitiful, Black," she said.

"Well, I was a little afraid you'd not come to our meeting—again—so I decided I'd find you before you were unreachable," continued Black, ignoring her insult.

"And we definitely would have been. If only you hadn't come here."

"Oh, so you'd rather be alone in a dark room with Severus Snape than me?"

"Frankly, yes."

"You're probably the only one."

"Then I'm the only sane one. No sane girl wants to be alone in a dark room with you, Sirius Black."

"I don't know. I sure find a lot of crazy ones the."

"That's sickening, you know," drawled Snape.

"Nice of you to be so blunt," Black replied.

Snape inclined his head mockingly.

"Oh, will you two cut it out?" she snapped, leaning against the bookshelf. "We're going to be in here for a while, so we should at least try to be civilized."

"And how do you define _civilized_?" asked Snape.

"Well, in this case, no fighting, no glaring, no yelling or screaming, no rude remarks, and no insinuations."

"That's no fun," complained Black, pouting.

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'm going to look at some books." And he walked away with the light shining before him. Rhia and Black were left in darkness.

"Why are you always such a prat?" she asked curiously.

"Why are you always such a know-it-all?" he countered.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering."

"People always assumed I'd be like the rest of my family—exactly like them. I've always wanted to be different from them, and in many ways I am. But there are still a lot of ways I'm similar to them, even if I hate it."

"What does that have to do with—"

"I never wanted to be angry or manipulative—like my parents are. I never wanted to be conceited. I never want to beat my children when I grow up. And I don't want to make my own family, when I grow up, to be as miserable as I've been with mine. I want my children to live in a good, healthy environment.

"But I've always wanted to be liked—I never got any kind of love at home. And people tend to like me more because I'm loud and funny and attractive. The conceited prat thing just went with it."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"You asked, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect anything so… _deep_."

"Most people don't."

They were silent for a while, barely able to hear Snape in the background. Rhia squinted through the darkness and could almost make out Black's silhouette.

"What about your family?" he asked.

Rhia's breath caught in her throat. "Oh, that," she said shakily. "Well, my parents are dead. They were some of the first casualties of You-Know-Who. I live with my aunt and uncle."

"Is that why you're always stuttering?"

"Have you seen me stutter lately?"

"No, not really. But you did. Did you get over your fear of people?"

"I never feared _people_. I feared—well, still do—fear attention. There's a very large difference. My parents were very big in the Muggle government. They got attention a lot. They worked in a building with a lot of people, and the Death Eaters attacked the whole building."

"I guess I understand."

Silence again.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

"For what?"

"For producing—not denying—that rumor."

"Are you going to tell people the truth now?" she asked hopefully.

"What good will that do? They'd either say they don't believe me, or that they knew I couldn't possibly go out with you."

"So what are you going to do about it?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know."

"Well, you better come up with something."

Neither spoke for the rest of the night. Rhia didn't know when Snape returned, but he was there in the morning when she woke up after a restless night on the hard floor. The candles in the library were lit again, which meant the doors were open. Rhia gave a sigh of relief, grabbed her books, and left.


	9. Tongue Tied

**Chapter 9 – Tongue-Tied**

Rhia opened up several of her school books, her _Advanced Potions: Year 7_ on the bottom. One glance over the cover of this book proved it wasn't hers. She flipped through it quickly, noticing all the scribbles in the margins. This book belonged to one Severus Snape.

Curiously, she read several of the notes. Most were hints on potions, but some were even spells—spells she had never heard of before. Where had he gotten all of them? She doubted they were in a library book. Maybe from some place like Knockturn Alley? They all seemed to be pretty dangerous. She doubted that _he_ had come up with all of them. There were an awful lot, after all.

Flipping back to the front of the book, she looked at the inner side of the front cover. _Property of the Half-Blood Prince_ was printed in the inner bottom corner. Who was the Half-Blood Prince? Snape? She knew he was a half-blood, but she doubted he would use such a title.

She had Advanced Potions today and was determined to return his book to him. However, Snape did not enter classes that day, nor was he at any of the meals. He had gone missing—and no one seemed to care.

It was some time at dinner that Monica told her an awful rumor. Angrily, Rhia left the Ravenclaw table and sat down at the Gryffindor one, squeezing in between Black and Potter.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, her voice falsely happy and loving.

Black raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you, Miss Bishop?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I do believe you can. You see, I was so worried about my friend, Mr. Snape, that I hadn't realized that you too were missing from class. And now Monica's told me a horrible rumor. She seems to be under the impression that you've killed him. Any way to explain that, Black?"

Black didn't say anything.

Rhia glanced at the others and noticed something wrong. "Where's Lupin?"

"Ill," Potter said quietly.

She turned back to Black. "I would think you'd be happy if Severus Snape were dead, so I'm guessing he's still alive."

Black nodded shortly.

"So what have you done to him?"

"For you to know that, I'd have to break a promise. Don't you worry about Snivellus though. Sadly, he's alive and well. Prongs took care of that." He flicked a clump of mashed potatoes at Potter, who scowled.

"How can you be so heartless about something like this? Do you seriously think you're capable of murder? And to think I was just considering you my friend." Rhia raised her voice so that the whole Hall could hear her next lines. "Whatever we ever had, Sirius Black, it's over!" she screamed before storming out of the Great Hall.

Rhia stayed in the library for the rest of the night. It was her sanctuary, where she was able to think things through.

She still didn't know what had happened to Snape. Was he mortally wounded by Black's attempted murder? Was he even hurt? What was so secret about it that Black couldn't tell her the truth?

Around nine o'clock, Rhia had fallen asleep at a table near the library entrance, only to be awoken at the sound of the door opening and closing. She looked up, eyes still blurry, and looked into dark eyes. "Hi?" she asked uncertainly.

"Monica Finch told me you'd be in here."

She recognized that voice. Slowly, her vision perfected itself, and she saw Severus Snape in front of her. She jumped to her feet and smothered him in a great big hug. "I was so worried about you," she said.

Snape stiffened against her touch. "I'm perfectly fine," he said, his voice strained.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, pulling away.

"I was in Dumbledore's office most of the time. And, before you ask, Dumbledore has forbidden me from telling anyone what happened."

She nodded. "That's all right. You're alive. I'm happy now."

"I didn't think that anyone would ever care for me," said Snape quietly.

"I care about you."

He was at a loss for words.

"I care about you a lot."

"I…."

"It's all right. You don't have to say anything." She played with her hair for a minute before looking back up at him. "I have your Potions book, by the way."

"I figured that out a couple days ago, after you left the library."

"I have it in my dorm. I kinda… looked through it a little."

"I suspected as much."

"You're not angry? Usually, you're angry."

"I'd prefer if you hadn't, but I suppose I'm not going to die because you did," he said coldly.

Rhia smiled. "I'll give it back to you tomorrow." With a quick glance around, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the library. "Come on! Let's get some fresh air."

"Where are we going?"

"The Astronomy tower."

"What?! Do you know what people do up there?"

"It's not late enough yet. _Come on!_"


	10. Splutter and Stutter

**Chapter 10 – Splutter and Stutter**

The end of the year approached—and with it came an invitation for the seventh years. Having been at the school for seven while years—and ready to leave—it was a tradition for a dance to be hosted in their honor, though it was only for their year and their dates.

Rhia was probably the only girl not fretting over what to wear. She already had sparkling, pearly white dress robes and matching white sandals that she could wear. Monica, on the other hand, had been concentrating more on her clothing problems than her NEWTs. Meanwhile, Rhia and Snape had moved on from just studying for Potions to every subject they had together. They only left the library for meals, classes, and sleep.

Rhia hadn't spoken to Black since his supposed _prank_ upon Snape. He had never made any effort to speak to her or apologize to either her or Snape. They had made eye contact several times; she merely glared, and he just looked at her. Rhia was slightly scared by this—not because he was watching her, but because of the glint in his eyes. There was something there that she didn't understand. And she didn't like it very much. During those times, Rhia would quickly return to her work or food. The longest they had every kept eye contact was barely less than a minute. Rhia had turned away with a scowl.

Before long, the NEWTs were upon them. The only truly prepared students were probably Ravenclaws, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Snape, and Rhia herself. Black and Potter scored rather high despite the fact that they only studies three times. In general, there were few people that did badly. However, for the rest of the time at Hogwarts, Lily Evans kept fretting that she had forgotten something or misspelled a word.

Eventually, the dance was there, and Rhia had received no invitations. She hadn't been planning on going in the first place but had quickly changed her mind when she realized she had nothing better to do.

After dinner on the second to last day, all the seventh years returned to their dormitories and changed into their dress robes. Rhia did so slowly, not really interested in going to the dance.

Once down in the Great Hall, Rhia found a small table in the back—alone. Monica was going with some fellow Hufflepuff, so they probably wouldn't see much of each other. She didn't know whether Snape was coming or not.

She was one of the few people in the Hall. Most of the couples were delayed because the girls were whining and complaining about their hair or make-up even though it looked great already. She scowled, however, when Black entered—dateless—with the other Marauders and their dates. He sent her a meaningful look before their group sat down. Relief came moments later when Monica and her date joined her.

"Hey!" Monica exclaimed happily.

Rhia laughed lightly. "You seem excited."

"It's a dance, Rhia! You should be too."

"There's no one for me to dance with."

"Greg'll dance with you, won't you, Greg?" she asked, looking at her date.

"Sure," he responded kindly.

"This is Greg Fletchley," Monica finally introduced.

Rhia smiled and inclined her head. "Lovely to meet you, but no. Thank you, though. I'm not sure I'll be here long enough to anyway. Go. Dance. Have fun."

Monica hesitated but nodded. "If you insist. I'll talk to you later tonight, though, all right?"

"Sounds lovely."

Monica and Greg went out onto the dance floor and began to waltz to the slow song. Rhia was happy that her friend was enjoying herself. Greg seemed very nice, and he kept making Monica laugh. She was happy for them.

Suddenly her vision was blocked.

Rhia had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Snape walking up to her. "Hi," he said quietly, sitting down across from her.

"Hello," she replied with a small smile. "So you've come, have you?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you should expect a dance."

"Understandable," said Rhia.

They sat in silence. It was not uncomfortable. She was grateful for the silence. It gave her time to think and time to consider the person before her. But he broke that silence.

"Care to dance?" he asked, looking up at her testily.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to expect a dance."

"Just because you don't expect something doesn't mean it won't happen."

Rhia smiled. "Sure," she said, letting him take her hand and lead her out to the floor. "I don't know how to dance."

"That's all right. It's really quite simple. My mother taught me when I was seven."

"And you still remember how?"

"Yeah. It was tradition for us to dance every Christmas."

"But you stayed this Christmas."

"I said _was_. She died a couple years ago."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"That's all—"

"He doesn't need apologies—he needs pity."

Rhia scowled. "Go away, Black," she spat, glancing over at Sirius Black, who stood beside them.

"Lovely to see you too," replied. The he looked to Snape, saying, "Go away, Snivellus. I'll give the lady a proper partner." He pushed aside Snape and took Rhia in his arms. He led her across the floor, farther and farther away from Snape's unmoving form.

Rhia went begrudgingly and slowly. "What is it you want, Black?" she snapped.

"Well, to be perfectly frank—"

"Your name isn't Frank."

"Thank you. As I was saying, to be perfectly serious—and my name is Sirius—I want you."

"Have you ever heard of subtlety?"

"Yes, but I make it a habit not to use it. It just confuses people."

"Like yourself?"

"All right, enough small talk. I want a serious talk."

"And I don't want to talk at all—at least not with you. And how dare you think that I could ever actually want to be with you?!" she said, her voice steadily growing louder. "You are the most—"

He silenced her with a kiss.

Rhia was stunned. Too stunned to stop him. Too stunned to move. Too stunned to shut her eyes. Too stunned to slap him when he pulled away. Too stunned to respond in any way, shape, or form.

Only after he had disappeared into the crowd had she come back to her senses. She spluttered for a moment and then rushed to the nearest bathroom to wash her mouth out with soap. After doing so, she took a deep breath and clung to the wall for dear life. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, _oh God_!" she stuttered, immediately going back to the sink to wash her mouth again.


	11. Miss You

**Chapter 11 – Miss You**

Rhia boarded the Hogwarts Express to go home two days later. Finally. She desperately wanted away from her social hell at that moment. She wanted to be back with her aunt and uncle again. She wanted to be able to sit in a comfy chair and read her book, which had been neglected as of late.

With a heavy sigh, she trudged into an empty compartment at the back. She slammed the door behind her in frustration.

In the past couple days, she had been hounded by girls asking her about her relationship with Sirius Black. Black had also been trying to talk with her, but she had eluded him every time thus far. Not to mention that, when she finally befriended Snape, Black had to kiss her and ruin that. She and Snape hadn't spoken since the dance. He hadn't even looked at her. She knew because she had checked often. He acted like she didn't even exist.

Rhia pulled out her book and tried to read but couldn't concentrate hard enough. The words just weren't making any sense.

She had already spoken to Monica about her Sirius Black predicament, though there was no mention of Snape. Rhia was glad that Monica didn't know about Snape. She didn't know what her friend would think, but it couldn't be good.

The compartment door opened just as she chucked her book at the wall angrily. She was about to apologize for possibly startling the person when she saw who it was. Instead, she muttered an inaudible apology and slumped back against the wall.

Severus Snape sat down across from her, mumbling something about everywhere else being full. Other than that, he made no action that proved he even noticed her there. Rhia groaned at this prospect.

Several hours later, he was still ignoring her. He was being nearly as much of a prat as Black was. And it wasn't even like _she_ had done any wrongdoing. "He was the one that kissed me!" she yelled finally.

Snape started and looked up at her. "You didn't seem to want to push him away either."

"I did too!"

"Not enough."

"I was startled."

"That's no excuse."

She groaned. "What does it even matter?"

"It doesn't."

"Well, it sure seems to."

"Because he's the enemy."

"The enemy?"

"He's always a prat, and he and Potter are such narcissistic—"

"I know what they are and what they do, but how does that make them the _enemy_?"

"I misspoke."

She looked at him suspiciously. "If you say so."

They were silent for a while, during which Rhia refused to allow herself to even glance at him.

Finally, she got up and moved beside him. With a deep sigh, she tried speaking. "Look, Snape. I know we haven't always gotten along—at least, not very well—but, this last semester, the times I spent with you were fun." She leaned forward, sighed, and looked back to him. Their eyes were locked. "I'm going to miss you, Severus Snape."

They just looked into each other's eyes for a while, and she couldn't look away until the train came to a halt.

"You're a horrible friend," she said, "but you're still my friend. I do hope that we can remain as such even if we hardly see each other."

He gave no response.

The door to the compartment opened, and Monica sidled inside. "What's going on here?" she asked cautiously, glancing between the two.

Rhia cleared her throat and stood up. "I was just saying goodbye."

She nodded. "I'll wait for you outside." And she left them alone.

Snape stood beside her and pulled out his suitcase. "Goodbye," he said, and he left her.

Rhia was at a loss. What was with him and his mood swings? The next time she saw him, how would he act? When would she see him next? They had graduated. She was going to be a Healer, and she had no idea what he would be. The only way to see him would be to arrange a meeting (or for him to get magically wounded somehow). And she doubted he would consent to that. But maybe… maybe he would.


	12. Knockturn Alley

**Chapter 12 – Knockturn Alley**

It had been nearly two months since Rhia had graduated. She was currently working at St. Mungo's as an intern. She and Monica met at least every weekend and went out to dinner or for drinks. She had tried to keep in touch with Snape, but he didn't respond to any of her letters. Black, on the other hand, pelted her with owls, asking to meet with her.

"Damn him," she muttered once she saw the owl on her window sill.

"He must really fancy you," Monica said from the table.

"Yeah, the prat. This is the fourth owl this week."

"Wow. _Really_ fancies you."

"You're really making me feel better."

"I try. Do you think you'll ever agree to a date?"

"With _him_? You've got to be joking."

"I'm not."

"Then you better start soon—before I throw up at the thought of snogging Sirius Black."

"I never meant I wanted you to… to do _that_! I was just wondering if there was a chance you would."

"None whatsoever." Rhia took the letter from the bird and shooed it away. After a glance at the writing on it and determining it had originated from Black, she tossed it in the waste bin. "I stopped reading them after the third one."

"Whose owl is that?" asked Monica as a different owl came and landed on the sill that Black's owl had just vacated. "That's one _big_ owl."

Rhia turned back toward the window. "It's a Great Horned Owl, but I don't know who it belongs to. It is a bit familiar, though." She approached it cautiously and removed the letter from its leg. It alighted as soon as it was freed of its burden.

"Who's it from?"

She opened it and quickly recognized the script. "It's from Snape!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, him." Monica smirked lightly. "You like him, don't you?"

"What?!" she cried, looking to her friend. "I do not! He's just my friend." She turned back to the letter, glancing over it. "Although he doesn't seem so keen to be that at all."

"Read it to me already!"

"Fine.

_Bishop, I don't know where you got the idea that I would actually want to hear from you. Please leave me alone. I can no longer associate myself with a Mudblood like yourself._

_-Severus Snape_."

"Wow, what a berk," Monica commented.

She nodded. "Yeah. He didn't have to be so rude about it. But what did he mean by _no longer_? That makes it seem like something happened that forces him to stop being friends with me."

"I have no idea."

Rhia Apparated outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor nearly a week later. She didn't know why she felt that she could find Snape in Diagon Alley, but she was determined to find him somehow, and she had nowhere else to start. Instead of entering the normal shops, she walked away from them, glancing through the glass windows but knowing that he would not be there.

When she reached a dark and sinister-looking street, she turned off the main road down Knockturn Alley. If there were any place along Diagon Alley that he would be in, it would be Knockturn Alley.

Rhia's escapade through the dangerous alleyway left her cold and scared. She recognized very few people, but one Lucius Malfoy was among that crowd—and she thought for a moment that he might have recognized her. When she looked back at him as she passed though, she was sure that it was just a figment of her imagination.

She continued on without mishap until she finally spotted greasy, black hair and contrasting pale skin. He was exiting an apothecary, most likely with as much potions equipment as he could carry and little or no money. After a closer look, she was positive it was Severus Snape.

Immediately, she was at his side and pulling him around so that she could face him properly. His hands were oddly empty. A look of astonishment and frustration crossed his face before either of them spoke.

"What do you want?" he spat a moment later.

"I miss you," she told him quietly.

"Is that supposed to make me all mushy inside, 'cause it's not working?"

"What did you mean in the letter?"

"My life is none of your business, Bishop. Leave me alone." He turned away from her again.

"What is wrong with you, damn it?!" she screamed at him, grabbing his arm and tugging him back to face her. "Why are you being so difficult—" The moment she saw the pain on his face she stopped talking and let go of him. "Are you all right, Snape?" asked Rhia quietly.

"I'm fine."

"I don't think so." She glanced down at his arm, but it was covered with his black cloak. "What's wrong with your arm?" she asked as she made to pull away the sleeve.

But he stopped her. He snatched her hand away with his right hand, his eyes easily forming a glare. "Don't."

"Why not?" Her voice was determined and strong—much stronger than she felt at the moment.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, obviously avoiding the question. "It isn't safe, though I doubt you'd be safe even if you hadn't come here looking for me."

"What's that supposed to me?"

"Isn't it obvious that it's not safe to around me?"

"I can handle it."

"I can't. Go."

"But you're my friend."

"Were, not was. I can't be your friend anymore. Go now."

"No—"

"_Now_!"

"No, damn it! You can't make me!" she shrieked, oblivious to the fact that dangerous people were watching them.

He groaned, but said, "Fine. Come with me." He pulled her along by the wrist, not caring that he was causing her pain. He just needed to get away. When they stood in a dark corner alone, he finally let her go. "Okay, we can talk here," he said quietly. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to know what happened to your arm, Snape," she said dangerously.

"I cut it. I needed blood for a potion, and I didn't feel like killing anyone at the time."

She rolled his eyes at his derision. "A likely story."

"Would I lie to you?"

"Yes."

"There are just things you can't know! Don't you get that, Rhia?!"

"Rhia?" she asked suspiciously. "You've never called me that before." Determinedly, she grabbed his left wrist and pulled back his sleeve to reveal something dark. It was the Dark Mark.

The next thing she knew, he had kissed her. She hadn't been prepared for it or even aware of it until it had already happened.

And then she fainted.


	13. War

**Chapter 13 – War**

Rhia's head was pounding. She couldn't think. There was blood caked on her forehead and dripping into her eyes. The palm of her right hand stung. She tasted blood in her mouth. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

What had happened? All she remembered was Snape kissing her. And then… her mind was blank. Had she been put under some spell? Had something strange or important happened and then a memory erasure? Or had she just fainted? And why was she covered in blood?

Realization struck her. Rhia's scream echoed through the dark room.

"Shh." There was someone beside her. She barely recognized the voice and the way the person was breathing, but she couldn't place them. The voice was familiar, but she hadn't heard it in a long time.

She stopped screaming at the sound of the voice. She tried to take in a deep, calming breath, but her whole body shook violently.

Warm arms encircled her, and she leaned back against the familiar person for comfort. The voice whispered sweet nothings and false assurances in her ear. She registered the voice as belonging to a man. His voice was soothing, and she enjoyed the close proximity, despite her confusion and fear.

"Where am I?" she asked a moment later, her voice calmer and more understandable. It was so clam she barely recognized it as hers.

"Somewhere sate," the man answered.

"Why am I covered in blood?" This time her voice showed the fear she really felt.

"Death Eaters."

"But why would they attack Knockturn Alley?"

"What were you doing there?" the man asked sharply.

"Snape…" was her distant response.

His disgust was obvious in his voice. "I thought I saw that greasy bastard."

"What happened to him?"

"He wasn't found among the dead that I saw."

"Why did they attack Knockturn Alley?"

"They didn't. You weren't found in Knockturn Alley. I saw you asleep on a bench outside Florean Fortescue's before the attack. _He_ wasn't in sight."

"He kissed me and left me?" she asked. Her voice was weak, but there was anger behind it.

His voice in the following statements was strained. "After the attack had commenced, I found you on the ground. You flew when the shop next to Fortescue's blew up. I think you bit your tongue. And you hit your head and scraped your hand."

"Who are you?" she finally asked.

He laughed—a beautiful, very familiar laughed that sounded oddly dog-like. "You don't know me, Rhiannon Bishop? I certainly know you."

She shifted so that she could look at him, though she could barely see his handsome face in the half-light. "Sirius Black?" she finally decided, though uncertainly.

He smiled.

Rhia looked away.

Once she realized they were sitting on a bed, she pulled out of his embrace and lay back against the pillow. "Where are we?" she asked again.

"Hiding. This is the cellar of Flourish and Blotts. It's the safest place I could find."

"Why didn't we go to St. Mungo's? I'm hurt after all."

"Death Eaters attacked it early this morning. Half the bottom wards are damaged. They're handling enough ill and wounded as it is. Besides, you're not bad off."

"Why aren't there more people here in hiding?"

"Most of the ones in the immediate vicinity are dead. Death Eaters must have thought you were, too. I'm so glad you were unconscious."

"What about you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

She nodded, not wanting to press further.

Black got up and walked around the edge of the bed. She could only tell by the noise he was making. He retrieved his wand off the dresser and returned to her side. "Sit up. We should probably cover up those wounds. I'm not good with healing, so I decided to wait for you to wake up. I did stop the bleeding, though."

With her help, he cleaned and dressed her wounds, and then he sat down next to her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks."

They sat in silence until he scooted a little closer to her. "I thought I had lost you," he whispered.

She didn't say anything. But she didn't scoot away.

He took her in his arms again and held her, even if she didn't want to be held. "I'm sorry… sorry about all the letters. It was stupid of me. I missed you. And I just wanted to see you. And, then, when I finally did, there you were bleeding and unconscious. I couldn't leave you there."

"It's okay," she said quietly. She wasn't really sure if it was. "We're together now anyway, aren't we?"

He laughed into her hair and kissed the top of her head. "We most definitely are." And he pulled her even closer, even though she hadn't thought that possible.

But she wasn't wary. Despite all that had happened during her unconsciousness and all the war that would come, she wasn't scared. She wasn't lonely. And she was most indubitably not cold as he held her in his warm, cozy arms.


	14. Love Is a Dangerous Thing

**Chapter 14 – Love is a Dangerous Thing**

Sirius ventured outside the next morning, wand at the ready, but he returned an hour later to say that the Ministry and Healers were there. Rhia joined him about ground at that time, and she helped heal people and take them to temporary medical centers, as St. Mungo's was still being reformed.

At the end of the day, both were exhausted and hesitant to leave, but one of Sirius's fellow Aurors convinced them to return home. Nevertheless, Rhia didn't feel safe to go to her home, and Sirius finally offered to go to her apartment with her. She refused, though sadly.

"I can handle being alone," she said. "You don't need to be so chivalrous. Thank you, though."

He laughed at this. "No. You're coming home with me. I insist."

Although she resisted, he finally was able to get her to join him. Soon they were at his apartment, sitting alone in the dark.

"Monica's probably wondering where I am," she said quietly. "Can I send her a letter?"

He nodded.

She scribbled a quick narration of her adventures and sent it off to her best friend with his owl. Then, Rhia returned to her seat beside Sirius.

She didn't know when she had started to think of him as 'Sirius' instead of just 'Black.' There had been no specific time in which the change had been made. The shift was nowhere near palpable. She couldn't register when. But he was Sirius now. He was a friend, even though it had never been declared outright. She trusted him. And she knew that he, above all, would protect her.

And yet she was hesitant to stay with him. She did not consider him more than a friend, but she knew he felt far more for her. She did not intend to lead him on, nor hurt his feelings in any way. She felt a certain bond between them now, and she didn't want to break it.

"I shouldn't be here," she said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Sirius, I—I shouldn't tease you."

"You're not teasing me. Tempting, but not teasing."

"But still! Even that is bad. I don't belong here."

"Maybe not now. But who knows what the future holds?"

"Don't talk like that," reprimanded Rhia.

"Why not?!" he exclaimed almost angrily. "I love you."

"What?" she snapped around to look at him. "What do you mean by that? How am I supposed to respond to something like that?"

"I don't know. I've never been in love before—though I have had several girls tell me they love me."

Rhia jumped to her feet. "I need to go home."

"Why? It's not like you'll get much sleep anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll be thinking of me all night."

"That's that cocky bastard I remember." She took a deep breath and continued. "Listen, Sirius, I cherish your company. But I don't think I could ever reciprocate your feelings for me."

He nodded, a grim smile playing on him lips. "I understand. But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying." He stood up, gave her a long hug, and released her. "I suppose I must let you go for now, but I'm not saying goodbye. I intend to see you again."

She nodded sadly and Apparated to her apartment.

A moment later she stood in the silence and stillness of her dark apartment. Everything seemed sad and lonely there. She wanted to go back to Sirius, but she held her ground and set down her wand on the table, moving to sit on one of her chairs.

He was right, though. She was already thinking about him, and she probably would for the rest of the night.

She heaved a sigh, and leaned her head against the cool table top.

She missed him. She missed his arms around her. She missed his—

"Hello, Rhia," a voice said out of the darkness that was her connected living room.

Her head snapped up, and she glared into the darkness, immediately recognizing the voice. "Snape," she said, her voice cold.

"I've been waiting for you all day."

"You left me," she accused maliciously.

"I didn't know what was going to happen. I went back just after the attack, and you were nowhere in sight. I had only left you for fifteen minutes."

"Why should I believe you? You're one of _them_ now. You've lied to me a hundred times before."

"I wouldn't purposefully put you in danger."

"Then, why did you send me that awful letter? You should have known that I would go searching for you."

"I wouldn't purposefully put you in danger," he repeated.

"Bollocks," she spat, standing up. "You don't give a damn about me."

"Yes, I do. Because of what I've done, I shouldn't be around you. That's why I sent you that letter."

"Then, what are you doing here now?"

"I have to be here."

"No, you don't."

"I do. I've been ordered here."

"By whom? To do what?"

"The Dark Lord. I'm sorry, Rhia, but you mean too much to me to continue living."

"You're going to kill me? Why?"

"To prove my loyalty."

Rhia smiled and gave off a short laugh.

"What are you doing?" he asked. A noise—the sound her sofa made when someone was standing—came from the inky blackness. She saw him walk toward her, coming into the dim light of the lamp over her sink. His wand was in his hand.

"You really do care," she concluded.

Snape stopped mere inches away from her and did not move. Finally, he succumbed to his desires and crushed his lips against hers. In a frenzy of lust and passion, he ravaged her soft lips. He was permitted for the moments of her surprise and awe, but was then spurred when she realized his actions.

At this, he took a step away and raised his wand. "I'm sorry," he murmured.


	15. Safe From Hell

**Chapter 15 – Safe from Hell**

So this was it? A couple of words, and she would be dead? Did she want it all to end like this?

Despite all the things that her aunt and uncle did to keep her safe, she would never be safe from the hellish world that was to come. Even if she was dead and gone, she would have died because of it—and because of Voldemort.

"_Avada Kadavra_," he said, his arm trembling.

But she didn't want to go out this way. She would have preferred to die fighting, or risking her life to save others like a Healer should. Besides, she wanted to see Sirius again. He had told her that he wasn't saying goodbye. Well, she hadn't said goodbye either. She wanted to see him again.

As the words came off his tongue, a loud smack resounded through the room. She watched angrily as he staggered back, his wand hand falling down to his side as the green flash erupted through the room, his other hand clutching his cheek in agony. And as she watched, she felt no sorrow and no pity.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, tears springing to her eyes. "Bloody arsehole! I never want to see you again!"

She reached over onto the table to grab her wand and ran to the door of her apartment. In a rush, she ripped it open and scurried out into the night. At the foot of the staircase outside, she raised her wand and Disapparated, hopefully never to see Snape again.

By the time she arrived at her destination, she was sobbing and shaking with violent and uncontrollable shivers. Her knees crumpled beneath her, and she fell to the floor, returning to a fetal position, hugging her knees.

"Rhia?" a voice interrupted. "My god!" Soon she felt the warm, familiar arms of Sirius around her. "What happened?" He pushed her hair away form her face and kissed her wet, tear-soaked cheek.

She grabbed at him and clung to him once her arms were around him. She didn't want to let go. She looked up at him.

He saw her bruised lips, putting it together with the tears to form a mediocre idea of what had transpired. "Rhia, what happened? Who did this?" he asked determinedly.

"He just kissed me," she choked out.

"Don't lie to me, Rhia."

"That's all, I swear."

He nodded, though hesitantly. "Then, why are you crying?"

"I can't say. You'll kill him," she sobbed into his chest. "I don't want you to be a murderer, Sirius. I never want to see him again, anyway."

"Who, damn it?!" demanded Sirius.

"Please, don't make me say it."

He said no more, though she could tell he had an idea of who had made her cry.

As her breathing calmed, she sat up, snuggling close against him, still clinging to his t-shirt. "Sirius," she said, "do you still love me?"

"I always will."

"Good." She looked him in the eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer, pressing her lips to his.

But he pushed her away. "Don't," he said hoarsely.

"It's what you want, isn't it?"

"No—I mean, yes, I do want it, but I'd rather spend the rest of my life talking with you than have just one meaningless night of passion."

Smiling, Rhia responded, "This isn't meaningless," and kissed him again.

"You're overreacting because of what happened."

"No, I'm not. I've already dealt with that inside. This isn't for comfort."

"Then, what is it for?"

"Pleasure—and love."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I love you, idiot," she laughed.

"About an hour ago, you said that you didn't think you could ever reciprocate my feelings for you."

"Your life flashing before your eyes can change some things."

"Why did your life flash before your eyes?"

"That doesn't matter now. Belt up and kiss me already."

He complied.

Rhia awoke in the morning with a large smile upon her lips. The sunlight streamed through the partially opened window onto her face, and a light breeze blew her hair into her face. She moaned and stretched and took in a deep breath.

"Don't you look beautiful."

She smiled and sat up, holding the sheets up to her neck. "Hi," she smiled.

He sat on a chair near the end of the bed, leaning his chest against and resting his chin upon the back. "I've been waiting for you to wake up for nearly an hour."

"You've been watching me sleep?"

"I wanted to make you breakfast," he explained. "Food's in the oven."

"You made breakfast?" she asked, grinning. "Give me a minute. I want to get dressed."

Sirius nodded and left the bedroom, making his way into the kitchen, not bothering to close the door behind him. "How do you like your eggs?" he called back to her.

"Scrambled," she responded. Rhia quickly jumped out of the bed, gathered her clothes, and dressed before joining him at the table. "What is this?" she asked as he put a plate in front of her.

"Scones with marmalade and scrambled eggs for the lovely lady," he presented, bowing. "And would the leady care for a drink?"

"Tea with lemon, please," she said.

He filled and placed the kettle over the stove's burner and pulled out two mugs. After preparing the tea, he returned to the table, poured the tea, and set the kettle on a hot pad on the table.

Once breakfast was over, they washed the dishes together, splashing the soapy water into their hair and onto their clothes. When they finished that, Sirius took a shower, and Rhia was forced to sit on the sofa.

After a moment of dozing, a knock sounded on the door. Rhia stood hesitantly and made her way toward the door. She glanced into the small spy hole and saw it to be her best friend, Monica. With a quick grin, she opened the door.

Monica didn't grin back. Not even the hint of a smile touched her lips.

"What's wrong?" asked Rhia cautiously.

Her friend looked away, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. "I tried to stop them, Rhia," she said. "Really, I did! But they overpowered me."

"Who?" Alarms went off in her head.

"_Them_. The awful men and that horrible woman. Rhia, they're _here_."

"You took them here?"

"They captured me just after I got your letter. They dragged me along. They're here somewhere."

And, just when she was starting to think she would live in hiding with Sirius, Snape had to ruin everything. Even if he wasn't among Monica's capturers, he had still betrayed his feelings for her to Lord Voldemort, thus endangering her life. If she hadn't considered him her friend before, she would have hated him.

She couldn't escape from the hell to come. No one could. No witch or wizard—or even Muggle—could be safe from hell. But she would do all she could to prevent it from hurting the people she loved, even if she had to pay with her life.

She looked to Monica determinedly and said, "Run! Hide! Do something! They want me, not you. If you get away, you should be safe."

"I know them! I won't be safe," she protested.

Rhia shook her head. "Go!" She was ready to face the peril that lay ahead—in life or in death.


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Sirius clambered out of the shower when he heard a scream. Although the voice was familiar, he could tell it wasn't Rhia's. He pulled on his robe, still soaked from head to toe, shampoo still bubbling in his hair.

"_Crucio_!" cried another voice, this one masculine and foreign to him.

The scream came again as he rushed to the scene. A bright green light burst into the room and the force pushed him to the ground. He had barely heard the issue of "_Avada Kadavra_" before the light had blazed through his apartment.

One minute passed in utter silence.

Sirius moaned and stumbled to his feet.

In the adjoining living room, he heard a sob. "Oh my god!" a woman shrieked, her voice cracking.

He rushed into the room. A familiar woman, though obviously not Rhia, was sitting over a body, hidden by a silver cloak. The rest of the room was empty, but the door was wide open.

"Hello?" he asked uncertainly. "What happened here?"

"She's dead!" sobbed the woman.

And, as she turned to him, he instantly recognized her. "Monica?" he gasped.

"No!" she shrieked at him. "_Rhia_," she said in a hushed voice, indicating the person on the floor. "_They_ killed her."

Horrorstricken and weak, he collapsed at his love's side. He took her limp hand—still warm—in his and caressed her pale skin. He pulled the fabric away from her face and looked into her dead, grey eyes. It was her. There was no doubt about it.

"Who did this?" he asked as calmly as he could. His voice waned and broke as tears came to his eyes.

"Your _cousin_—that bitch of a Lestrange," spat Monica, evidently overcoming her sorrow in her rage. "Her and her bastard of a husband."

"I'll kill her."

"No, you won't. Rhia wouldn't want you to die."

"How do you know?"

"Why else would she have been here with you after _he_ failed?"

"Who? Failed at what?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No. But I have a pretty good idea who could make her cry so much."

"Well, when he failed, I think You-Know-Who punished him—greatly. He almost died. Bellatrix hasn't trusted him since. He'll have to work extremely hard to prove his loyalty again."

"How do you know all this?"

"I had to infer a little, but they weren't very secretive when they captured me."

"Why do you think I would die if I fought Bellatrix?"

"It's just a feeling. You can fight her—but I know you'll die—even if it's many years in the future."

"I will kill her."

"You'll die trying," persisted Monica. "I'm as sure of that as I am that I will die soon. I know who they are, so they're going to kill me."

Sirius took in a deep breath. His voice was strained when he spoke. "I may not have been able to protect her," he said, nodding to his love, "but I will do all I can to protect you. Rhia considered you her best friend, and she would want you to live. I'll do everything within my power."

--

Quietly, Severus slid into his bed, not caring as the pain still washed over him. He ached everywhere, the Cruciatus curse still on his mind.

But that wasn't the cause of the pain. She was dead. There was no purpose to living anymore. The Dark Lord had punished him for failing, but he would have punished himself if he really had been the one to end her life. He only felt regret for not being able to save her—for the fact that she would have lived if it weren't for him. She would have lived and been happy.

All that was left for him now was a series of unearthly tasks and dangerous ventures set to him by the Dark Lord. It was all he had. He knew that she would hate for him to continue, but what more was there for him? Voldemort would have him killed if he left. Actually, he wouldn't have minded death—he would have welcomed it. But he knew she wouldn't have wanted him to die either—to give up.

He would regret his decision his entire life, but he would live with it. He would spend the rest of his life trying to regain the trust of someone he would forever hate, knowing that the woman he loved was dead because of that same person… and because of himself.

"Goodbye, Rhia," he murmured, turning over to try to sleep.

* * *

_Well, that's the end, folks. Sorry to kill her, but some things just need to happen. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you for reading._

_Anatui_


End file.
